Dodgers: After a seven-week layoff to heal a sore shoulder, Schmidt returns to the mound for the Dodgers. From what he’s shown in bullpen sessions and a lone Minor League rehabilitation start, his fastball velocity is up from the mid-80s that served as a red flag in his first three starts in April. He made 71 pitches in a Single-A game last week and he figures to have about 90 in him for this start.

Padres: Young dominated the Pirates in his last outing. He threw seven shutout innings on four hits and one walk and struck out seven. The start was the end to a phenomenal month for Young. He allowed only five earned runs in six starts and went 4-1 in May.

COMMENTS:

Okay, here comes a barnburner. Not only do we face an interdivision rival and herald the return of Jason Schmidt, but we face three days of solid starting pitching in Young, Greg Maddux, and Jake Peavy. We will counter with Schmidt (whom we can only hope has found some extra velocity during his time off), Randy Wolf, and Hong-Chih Kuo, which isn't exactly weak in the middle but has me uneasy on both ends, sort of like how I feel when I look at a Subway meatball sandwich made on the Italian white bread. Let's hope that the outcome doesn't make feel like how I feel when said meatball sandwich re-emerges from my digestive tract.